We are 81 days away from Florida Gators football. As part of our season preview, Gator Country will rank all 12 projected starting quarterbacks that Florida will face in 2026.
1. Trinidad Chambliss – Ole Miss
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is back in college after being granted an extra year of eligibility when a Mississippi state court judge ruled in his favor.
Chambliss finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2025 after throwing for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns while tossing just three interceptions. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound quarterback added 527 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.
While Chambliss may not fit the mold of a prototypical NFL quarterback, he’s one of the most dynamic playmakers in college football and enters 2026 as a legitimate Heisman contender.
2. Arch Manning – Texas
While Arch Manning may not have fully lived up to the lofty expectations that came with his first season as Texas’ starting quarterback, he still put together an impressive campaign, throwing for 3,163 yards, 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The 6-foot-4, 219-pound dual-threat quarterback also added 399 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.
Manning possesses elite physical tools and is surrounded by one of the nation’s most talented supporting casts. With a full season of starting experience under his belt, the redshirt junior is poised to take a significant step forward in 2026.
3. Gunner Stockton – Georgia
Gunner Stockton threw for 2,894 yards, 24 touchdowns, and five interceptions in his first season as Georgia’s starting quarterback. While Stockton isn’t likely to light up the stat sheet or routinely produce highlight-reel plays, he’s a reliable, steady presence under center. He rarely puts the ball in harm’s way and excels at taking what the defense gives him, completing nearly 70% of his passes a year ago.
What doesn’t get talked about enough is his dual-threat ability. Stockton led all SEC quarterbacks with 462 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, adding another element to Georgia’s offense.
Stockton finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting last season and could put together an even stronger campaign in 2026 with another year of experience under his belt.
4. John Mateer – Oklahoma
Quarterbacks four through six were nearly interchangeable for me. Oklahoma’s John Mateer threw for just 14 touchdowns last season while also tossing 11 interceptions. Mateer dealt with a hand injury for much of the 2025 campaign, which clearly affected his performance over the Sooners’ final eight games.
Even so, Mateer threw for 2,885 yards in 12 games while adding 431 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns.
The senior will need to cut down on the careless throws and make better decisions in the pocket to justify this ranking, but he has all the tools to be a dynamic playmaker in the SEC.
5. Byrum Brown – Auburn
Byrum Brown transferred to Auburn after a career year at USF in 2025, throwing for 3,158 yards, 28 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. As one of the most dynamic athletes in college football, Brown also rushed for 1,008 yards and 14 touchdowns.
In each of his two full seasons as a starter at USF, Brown eclipsed 3,000 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, 800 rushing yards, and 10 rushing touchdowns, proving that last season was no fluke.
This will be Brown’s first season in the SEC, meaning he’ll face a significant jump in competition. Still, the upside is undeniable for the fifth-year senior, and his transition should be eased by the fact that he followed head coach Alex Golesh to Auburn.
Brown is an aggressive downfield passer who is nothing short of dynamic in the run game. His accuracy in the short and intermediate passing game, along with inconsistent fundamentals at times, is what’s keeping him from being higher on this list.
6. LaNorris Sellers – South Carolina
LaNorris Sellers didn’t live up to the expectations surrounding him in 2025, but much of that can be attributed to the situation around him. Over the last two seasons, Sellers has been sacked 75 times, including 42 sacks in 2025 alone — a staggering number for any quarterback. South Carolina’s offensive line certainly didn’t do him many favors, as the Gamecocks ranked 102nd nationally in pass-blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
That raises an important question: How much of South Carolina’s offensive struggles were on Sellers, and how much stemmed from the pieces around him? I lean toward the latter. Sellers is a gifted quarterback capable of impacting the game in multiple ways, and it’s difficult for any passer to consistently succeed under that kind of pressure.
Despite the circumstances, Sellers has accounted for 4,971 total yards, 31 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions across two seasons as South Carolina’s starting quarterback. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound dual-threat signal-caller also rushed for 674 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024, an impressive feat considering he was sacked 33 times that season.
7. Austin Simmons – Missouri
Austin Simmons lost the starting job at Ole Miss following the emergence of Trinidad Chambliss, ultimately leading to his transfer to Missouri.
The left-handed quarterback showed flashes of potential in limited action with the Rebels, completing 59.8% of his passes for 1,026 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions on just 107 pass attempts.
8. Kenny Minchey – Kentucky
Kentucky is hoping to solve its multi-year quarterback problem with Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey. The former three-year backup has thrown just 29 career passes, making him one of the SEC’s biggest wild cards entering 2026. However, he was reportedly in a close quarterback battle with eventual Notre Dame starter CJ Carr in 2025, suggesting there’s untapped potential.
Minchey should also benefit from playing under first-year head coach Will Stein, an offensive-minded coach with a strong track record of developing quarterbacks.
9. Jared Curtis – Vanderbilt
While Vanderbilt has not formally named a starting quarterback, true freshman Jared Curtis is widely expected to take the job after ranking as the No. 2 quarterback in the 2026 class.
Curtis will be one of the most closely watched freshmen in the SEC this season, though projecting immediate success at the position is always difficult.
10. Caden Veltkamp – FAU
FAU’s Caden Veltkamp tossed for 3,641 yards and 24 touchdowns with the Owls in 2025. At Western Kentucky in 2024, Veltkamp threw for 3,108 yards and 25 touchdowns. The eye sore here is his 27 interceptions across his last two seasons including a career high 17 last season.
11. Ashton Daniels – FSU
One of the more surprising additions this offseason was Ashton Daniels committing to Florida State as their starting quarterback after appearing in just four games for a struggling Auburn team.
Daniels is an above-average athlete who has yet to prove he’s a Power Four-caliber starting quarterback. His most productive season came in 2023 at Stanford, when he threw for 2,247 yards, 11 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
12. Kamden Sixkiller – Campbell
Kamden Sixkiller is expected to start for Campbell this season after throwing for 2,154 yards, 12 touchdowns, and five interceptions last season with the Fighting Camels. Sixkiller spent the prior two seasons at McNeese State.